Sunday, 31 January 2021

New Year birding resolutions and flooded landscapes across the LDV

The start of a brand new year and we all hope that by the end of it things will look significantly better and that Covid 19 will be under control and we can all get back to some sort of normality. 

In common with a lot of birders I like a list - garden, local patch, life list etc, but when it comes to the year list (number of birds seen in a calendar year in any given area / location) I always lose interest after a month or two, possibly because I usually have a foreign trip on the horizon, the ultimate distraction methinks! But with no oversees travel for the foreseeable I've resolved to keep a UK tally this year. I have a couple of birding mates who do the same and its a good bit of competitive fun but some birders take it very seriously indeed - check out Bubo Listing and look at some of these guy's (and it is predominantly men) life lists if you are in any doubt about that.

Here we go then - short days, lockdown rules, wet and windy weather - welcome to 2021! Here's my January round up.

Hovingham, 03/01/21, a circular walk around South Wood.

South Wood, Hovingham
South Wood, Hovingham, 03/01/21

Coal Tit, Hovingham
Coal Tit, Hovingham, 03/01/21
Love this part of the Howardian Hills and all the more lovely on a crisp and bright winter's day. I stood and watched about 25 Goldcrests and attendant tit species roaming through the woodland above, heard a Tawny Owl but was really after a Goshawk which do frequent the area. Earlier I happened across a rather nice clump of Velvet Shank fungi.















Velvet Shank fungi, Hovingham
Velvet Shank, Hovingham, 03/01/21

green sandpiper, southcliffe common
Green Sandpiper, Southcliffe Common, 07/01/21
Southcliffe Common - 3 trips in the first half of the month to this SSSI and recently discovered area for me south of Market Weighton, one with my good friend Rob, produced some interesting birds including a Green Sandpiper flushed out of a drain, several Woodcock, a Great White Egret, 2 Barn Owls, 2 Green Woodpeckers and at least 2 Marsh Harriers.








southcliffe common, landscape, sssi
Southcliffe Common, 04/01/21

Barn Owl, southcliffe common
Barn Owl, Southcliffe Common, 04/01/21


Marsh Harrier, Southcliffe Common
Marsh Harrier, Southcliffe Common, 07/01/21

Southcliffe Common, landscape, frost
Southcliffe Common, 07/01/21

carr dyke drain, southcliffe common
Carr Dyke Drain, Southcliffe Common, 12/01/21

Lower Derwent Valley / Pocklington Canal - several visits, hampered slightly from mid month by seasonal flooding that left a number of my favourite haunts inaccessible. 

flooding, lower derwent valley, flood plains
Floodwater pouring onto Thornton Ings, 21/01/21

flooding, lower derwent valley, flood plains
Thorganby, 06/01/21

flooding, lower derwent valley, flood plains
Bank Island / Wheldrake Ings, 16/01/21

greylag geese, lower derwent valley
Greylag Geese, Thorganby, 06/01/21
All the usual wildfowl suspects were still viewable though with thousands of Wigeon & Teal interspersed with Greylag & Pink Footed Geese and smaller but very respectable numbers of Pintail, Gadwall, Shoveler and Tufted Duck.

Best of all for me was a flock of 37 Ruff on the floodwater at Bubwith and a further 16 at North Duffield on the same day in with Lapwings and c40 Dunlin.
Easily my highest ever count of over wintering Ruff in the LDV and great to see.









ruff, dunlin, lapwing, waders, lower derwent valley, flying
Lapwing, Ruff & Dunlin, North Duffield, 16/01/21


ruff, wading birds, lower derwent valley, flying
 Ruff, North Duffield, 16/01/21

ruff, wading birds, lower derwent valley, flying
Ruff, Bubwith Bridge, 16/01/21

fieldfare, thrush, lower derwent valley
Fieldfare, Thorganby, 06/01/21

With the fields within the valley totally submerged most of the Fieldfares and Redwings seemed to have departed for higher ground but still a few around and about and when the light is good they're one of my favourite birds to photograph ....


















fieldfare, thrush, lower derwent valley
Fieldfare, Thorganby, 06/01/21

North Cave Wetlands - two visits (10 & 22/01/21. Got my first PochardRedpolls and Green Woodpeckers of the year plus another Green Sandpiper on the 22nd. 2 Ruff and a Marsh Harrier also on the 22nd were other highlights and these slightly comical pair of Tufted Ducks made a good image.

tufted duck, pair, north cave wetlands, ducks
Tufted Ducks, North Cave, 22/01/21

Castle Howard estate - Ray Wood / Great Lake to Easthorpe and back. 23 days into the year and got my first Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker (2 of them). No pics of any but one of a small flock of Lesser Redpolls feeding on some of last year's Willowherb seeds came pretty close and made for a nice image.

lesser redpoll, castle howard, howardian hills
Lesser Redpoll, Castle Howard, 23/01/21

peregrine falcon, bird of prey, north yorks moors
Peregrine Falcon, Troutsdale, 25/01/21

Troutsdale (25/01/21) - a walk along the top of Troutsdale from Cockmoor Hall towards Wykeham Forest. Looking for a Goshawk but no joy but did get my first Peregrine of the year, a big flock of c200 Chaffinches and a nice hovering Kestrel against a clear blue sky.
















kestrel, hovering, bird of prey, north yorks moors
Kestrel, Troutsdale, 25/01/21


oystercatcher, wading bird, beach, bridlington, east coast
Oystercatchers, Fraisthorpe, 26/01/21
East Coast (26/01/21) - Flamborough, Buckton and Fraisthorpe beach. Tempted by a reported flock of over 170 Lapland Buntings at Buckton I was tempted to travel further than I perhaps should have done. I dipped out on the Laps and got a parking ticket at Fraisthorpe beach for my efforts (serves me right but lets say no more about it😞). The beach was the best with my first Red Throated Diver, Ringed Plover and Sanderling of the year, and then a poke around Bridlington harbour for a Purple Sandpiper and ended up with 14 of them!


ringed plover, wading bird, beach, fraisthorpe
Ringed Plover, Fraisthorpe, 26/01/21


ringed plover, wading bird, beach, fraisthorpe, flying
Ringed Plover, Fraisthorpe, 26/01/21

purple sandpiper, harbour, wading bird, bridlington
Purple Sandpiper, Bridlington harbour, 26/01/21


Purple Sandpiper, Bridlington harbour, 26/01/21

A walk in the Yorkshire Wolds around the Drewton Estate on the 30th produced at least 4 Bramblings in amongst a monster finch flock of Chaffinch (c200), Goldfinch (c200) and Greenfinch (c50) then on the last day of the month I added Skylark and Grey Partridge around my old stamping ground at Fangfoss Park to end the month on 109 bird species - none too shabby that😀